I’m picky about potato salad. My mom makes a classic version that I love, and it’s one of those things that I just don’t try to recreate because it’s a comfort food memory for me. So I started playing around with different styles of potato salad- German style, a red potato version…I wanted an herby, vinegar-y, potato salad with some crunch, not just from the celery and herbs, but a pickled, spicy mix of crunch to spoon over the top of the finished potato salad. Here’s what I came up with. (There are a few little extras in this recipe that make a big difference- I’ll note them below).
For the potatoes:
1 pound bag of small potatoes, as uniform in size as you can get
a few cloves of garlic, smashed
salt
For the dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
2-3 Tbs of Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio vinegar
1 Tbs whole grain mustard (Dijon works as well, or mix them!)
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 medium shallot, sliced
salt and pepper
For the salad:
3-4 ribs of celery, diced
a generous amount of chopped, fresh herbs, including: chives, tarragon, flat-leaf parsley, and dill (any herb works, but avoid the tougher herbs like rosemary).
For the pickled peppers and “dillys” to go on top:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 Tbs salt
1 tsp (or more) of whole peppercorns: pink, black, or even Sichuan
1-2 bay leaves
2-3 gloves of garlic, smashed
Thinly sliced fresh jalapeños, sliced onion, and fresh, thin, green beans (enough to fill a jar – you’ll want extra, if you’re like me).
Garnish:
Sliced Fresno chilies and chopped chives:
First, the potatoes:
Add the potatoes to a stock pot, fill with cold water, add salt and a few crushed garlic cloves. Starting with cold water helps ensure an even cook on the potatoes, and the garlic and salt add flavor. You can strain out the garlic, or just toss it into the potato salad like we do. I mean, it’s garlic! Bring the water to a boil and cook until the potatoes are almost falling apart and/or the skins are starting to peel off. While the potatoes are boiling, make the dressing by adding all the ingredients to a bowl and then slowly whisk in the olive oil to emulsify. (Honestly, I’ve just put everything in a mason jar and shaken it up- you do you!)
Add the dressing to the warm potatoes and toss to coat. You want warm potatoes because they drink the dressing in!
Toss in the salad ingredients- celery and all the fresh herbs you like.
I put the mixture aside and make the “pickles and dillys” – but it’s nice if you make the pickled mixture a day before to really meld the flavors. Bring the brine mixture to a boil. Meanwhile, put whatever you want (garlic slices, thin green beans, jalapeño slices, sliced onion, even thinly sliced carrots!) into a jar. Let the brine cool a bit and then pour it over the vegetables and put the jar in the refrigerator to chill.
To serve:
Serve the potatoes garnished with the pickled vegetables, sliced Fresno chiles, and chives for a colorful, flavor-packed punch. Add a squeeze of lemon over the salad for a bit of acid kick.
Notes:
This salad can be served warm, room temperature, or chilled! It’s so forgiving. (I think I sense a theme here with my recipes- I like things that can be interchanged with my ever-changing moods).
Any mustard can be used in the dressing: there are artisan mustards with fun flavors like horseradish that I’m sure would be fun to try.
You don’t have to do the “pickles and dillys”, that’s extra, (but worth it, it gives the whole salad a zhuzh up)- but for a tip, add your vegetables to the jar sitting on its side; you can pack them in so they fit nicely, and then tip it back up and add the brine.